Towel holder



Patented Aug. 28, 1934 UNTL STATES @Tirilli l 'Crowes nonnen VincentPanettiere, Brooklyn, N. Y. [tpplication May 19, .1933, SerialNo. 67h78@3 Claims. i (Cl. 2li-ds) This invention relates in general to fasteningdevices and is more particularly concernedwith means for holding towelsand the likes A It is an object of the present invention to provide afastening device oi the character described, which is especially adaptedto `support towels and the like and is so designed and constructed astoclainpingly engage the towel in such a manner as to obviate thepossibility of its becoming torn while being used. Y

It isla further object to provide Va holder having means to clampinglyengage the towel'in such a manner that the towel will be more rmlygripped asthe pull on the towel is increased.

It is `also an object-to provide adevice of this vcharacter whichisAconstructed in such `a way that a towel `or similar articlemay be easilyengaged and released, and when engaged will be firmly gripped and heldagainst removal.

Still `another object is to provide-such a device wherein the articlesecured is iirmly held against removal without having to utilize jteethor other piercing elements which would have a tendency to tear orotherwise damage the article.

In accordance with the general features of the invention, I provide aframe including a round transverse bar which is rigidly secured thereto.Slidably mounted on the frame is a curved plate which may be moved intoand away from the fixed bar. The curved plate projects a greater amounton one side past the plane of the frame than it does on the other. Thisplate has an inner surface conforming te thatl of the xed bar so that,when the plate is moved into clamping position with the Xed bar, a largeclamping surface is operative to hold the towel or other article againstslipping. Moreover, by passing the towel end over the sliding plate andthen back between the plate and bar, after which the plate s pushed intoclamping engagement with the bar, the towel will be firmly held againstslippage and there are no penetrating elements to tear or otherwisedamage the towel.

The curved plate is secured to the frame in such a manner that it may beslightly tilted relative to the frame. It will be observed that as thepull is increased on the body of the towel or other article, the forcesare such as to tend to tilt the plate relative to the frame, this actioncausing the plate to be more strongly forced against the fixed bar, theclamping forces thereby being increased.

While the invention has been illustrated and will be described inconnection with a towel, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art,that the invention is susceptible of many other uses as y' well as i orthe purpose of holding a towel.

@ther objects and features of the invention will more fully appear fromthe following detail description taken in connection with theacccmpanying drawing which illustrates a single einbodiment thereof, andin which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a towel holding device embodying thefeatures oi this invention; i

Figure 2 is a side view of the device showing the clampinginstrumentalities in unelamped relation and a towel having its endthreaded into the device;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view showing 70 the manner in whichthe clamping plate is slidably mounted on the frame, taken substantiallyonline III- 111 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the clampinginstrumentalities in clamped position on the towel or other articlesecured therein. Y

As shown on the drawing:

In the illustrated embodiment oi this invention, the device is disclosedas having a frame structure which is preferably formed of a singlelength of wire. At the mid-point,the single length of wire is bent todefine an eyelet l0 by means of which the device may be supported on a.wall or other structure. From this eyelet the sides of the frame ,85 areformed by extending the wire in diverging relation to form legs ll and12 which are deiiected as shown at 13 and 14 to form parallel endportions which lie in the saine plane. The ends of the portions 13 and14 are anchored in a transversely extending bar 15 which is preferablyof circular cross-section. When using a fixed bar of circularcross-section, the center lines of the portions 13 and 14 shouldcoincide with a diameter ci' the bar in orde:n that the bar willsymmetrically placed on either side of the frame structure.

Slidably associated with the frame is a sul stantially semi-circularplate 16 which is provided at each end with an elongated aperture l?, Athese apertures respectively receiving therethrough the parallelportions i3 and 14 of the frame. It will be observed that the aperturesare disposed in alignment between one side of the plate 16V-and itslongitudinal center line. With ,.105 this arrangement, as shown inFigure 2, the plate 17 will project a greater amount on one side of theplane of the frame than it does on the other side. Moreover, the innersurface is of this plate, the surface 18 cooperating with the outer 1:10

surface of the bar 15, is of a curvature corresponding to that of theouter surface of the bar 15. This arrangement enables the plate to bemoved to clamping position, in which position the plate and bar are innested relationship with the plate circumferentially engagingsubstantially 180 of the bar surface.

In using the device of this invention for supporting an article, such asa towel 19, one end of 'the towel is inserted in the frame between theparallel portions 13 and 14 and overlying the curved plate i6, thisinserted end being carried back under` the plate 18 and over the bar 15,as shown in Figure 2. In the unclamped position, the lowermost edge ofthe plate 18 will strike against the bar 15, when the plate is moved.towards clamping position. Further movement of the plate 1S will causethe plate to shift sufficiently to enable the lower edge of the plate topass around the bar 15. This shifting is clearly shown by dotted linesin Figure 2. In Figure 4, the plate 1S is shown in fully clampedposition with the bar 15.

With the end of a towel or other article clamped in the device, as shownin Figure 4, the force of the body portion of the article causes theplate 18 to irmly grip the end of the towel or article which is disposedover the bar 15 underneath the plate 18. Moreover, if the body portionor" the towel is raised to a position normal to the plane of the frameand a pulling force is exerted during the use thereof, the uppermostedge on the plate will tend to be forced upwardly and the lower edgedownwardly, the plate tending to fulcrum at its sliding connection. Thisaction causes the plate to increasingly grip the end of the towel as thepull is increased.

1From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that this inventionprovides a fastening device which is admirably adapted for use as atowel holder, which is devoid of elements which would pierce and have atendency to tear or otherwise damage the towel or article beingsupported in the device; which is so constructed that the towel will bemore rmly gripped as the pull thereon is increased; and a supportingdevice which is so constructed that the clamping instrumentalities maybe easily actuated to clamped and unclamped position.

Now, it is, of course, to be understood that although I have describedin detail the preferred embodiment of my invention, the invention is notto be thus limited but only insofar as dencd by the scope and spirit ofthe appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a wire frameincluding spaced parallel side portions, a bar secured at its ends tosaid portions, and a curved plate having its ends slidably connected tosaid portions for movement into clamped and unclamped relationship withthe bar, one side of said plate projecting past the plane of the frame agreater amount than the other side.

2. A device of the character described comprising a wire frame includingspaced parallel side portions, a bar secured at its ends to saidportions, and a curved plate having apertures adjacent its 100 ends, forslidably receiving said portions, whereby said plate may be moved intoclamped and unclamped relationship with said bar, said apertures beingdisposed in alignment between one side of the plate and its longitudinalcenter line, ,105 whereby the plate projects past the plane of the framea greater amount on one side than the other.

3. A device of the character described comprising spaced side members, abar of circular cross- 110 section interconnecting said side members, aplate slidably supported on said members for movement into and out ofsurface engagement with said bar, said plate being transversely curvedto define a clamping surface for circumferential- 15 ly engagingsubstantially 180 of the surface of said bar.

VINCENT PANETTIERE.

